English 111
Sadlier-Oxford Vocabulary
Level G, Unit 10
askance
 (adv.) with suspicion,
distrust, or disapproval
 Synonyms: distrustfully,
suspiciously, skeptically
attenuate
 (v.) to make thin or
slender; to weaken or
lessen in force, intensity,
or value
 Synonyms: thin out,
dilute, water down
 Antonyms: thicken,
strengthen, bolster
benign
 (adj.) gentle, kind;
forgiving,
understanding; having a
favorable or beneficial
effect; not malignant
 Synonyms: benevolent,
salutary, salubrious,
harmless
 Antonyms: malevolent,
deleterious
cavil
 (v.) to find fault in a
petty way, carp; (n.) a
trivial objection or
criticism
 Synonyms: (v.) nit-pick,
quibble
charlatan
 (n.) one who feigns
knowledge or ability; a
pretender, impostor, or
quack
 Synonyms: fraud,
mountebank
decimate
 (v.) to kill or destroy a
large part of
 Synonyms: ravage,
devastate
foible
 (n.) a weak point,
failing, minor flaw
 Synonyms:
shortcoming, defect,
quirk
 Antonyms: forte, virtue
forgo
 (v.) to do without,
abstain from, give up
 Synonyms: refrain from,
renounce
 Antonyms: indulge in,
partake of
fraught
full of or loaded
with; accompanied by
 Synonym: charged with
 Antonyms: devoid of,
lacking, deficient in
 (adj.)
inure
 (v.) to toughen, harden;
to render used to
something by long
subjection or exposure
 Synonyms: accustom,
acclimate
luminous
 (adj.) emitting or
reflecting light, glowing;
illuminating
 Synonyms: radiant,
bright, refulgent,
lustrous
 Antonyms: dark,
opaque, dim, murky
obsequious
 (adj.) marked by slavish
attentiveness; excessively
submissive, often for purely
self-interested reasons
 Synonyms: fawning,
servile, sycophantic,
mealymouthed
 Antonyms: assertive,
bumptious, overbearing,
candid, frank, independent
obtuse
 (adj.) blunt, not coming to
the point; slow or dull in
understanding; measuring
between 90 and 180
degrees; not causing a
sharp impression
 Synonyms: stupid, dumb,
thick, mild, dull-witted
 Antonyms: acute,
perceptive, quick-witted
oscillate
 (v.) to swing back and
forth with a steady
rhythm; to fluctuate or
waver
 Synonyms: vibrate,
vacillate
penitent
 (adj.) regretful for
one's sins or mistakes;
(n.) one who is sorry
for wrongdoing
 Synonyms: (adj.)
remorseful, regretful,
rueful, sorry
 Antonyms: (adj.)
unrepentant,
remorseless
peremptory
 (adj.) having the nature of a
command that leaves no
opportunity for debate,
denial, or refusal;
offensively self-assured,
dictatorial; determined,
resolute
 Synonyms: high-handed,
unconditional
 Antonyms: irresolute,
tentative, mild, unassuming
rebuff
 (v.) to snub; to repel, drive
away; (n.) a curt rejection, a
check
 Synonyms: (v.) spurn,
repulse, reject; (n.) setback
 Antonyms: (v.) accept,
welcome
reconnoiter
 (v.) to engage in
reconnaissance; to
make a preliminary
inspection
 Synonym: scout
shambles
 (n.) a slaughterhouse; a
place of mass
bloodshed; a state of
complete disorder and
confusion, mess
sporadic
 (adj.) occurring at irregular
intervals, having no set plan
or order
 Synonyms: intermittent,
spasmodic
 Antonyms: constant,
steady, continuous,
uninterrupted